Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-05-07

ssnoraia not taught ct "West Point" or
at,nlned IN she old regular army OF me United
statesD whose names shall DO remem Dsren ~
Icing az tho traditions o. o our IN ~ ono
its history be read. II Is furprleins ,nas one
should have visited Lees headquarters ana In
f,ca ,,nnyeren,ion not have heard OF tornon
ard Hampton, and Breckinrloko OIL. nnoIo'.
and Colt and Taylor. and Hoke ana nsnoy anu
Earksdale. and many others, who came IRON
a yii life and by distinguished services won
the Commission OF general. Should tns army
OF tho Southwest and that oil ne lrans- nlssls-
sippi be Included tho list womb DO vofy ls,se.
The most inattentiye listener vi vaaeno ,'
reader Of tho annals OF our war might 90 sup
poaed 10 have learned OF tho extraordinary OF
forts in Missouri and Kentucky 10 preserve
their autonomy shall Price and Bowen snd
Little. and johnson and Morgan ana hanson,
be forgotten? shall not the deeus " 'yu ,,y
and Mccullough be rememperedl WINS
IIe,e ,bnll be reunions OF Confederate soldiers
fbese and other names VIII De pl'otai poln.s
around which the campfire reminsc.sn i. win
gather, md in the moro distant iuture DC
Loul ehold words In tho fraditions VI 'no past
CHANGE THE WORDS.
General Loo ne known 20 hose who had
icon his friends from youth to ago, was not
lonrac,ot,s or urone 10 volunteer hts opinions
upon general subjects, and taus u appear
that General Wolseley must have been IN tne
part Of mind-reader rather nan hs,enor IN
fomc Of his citations. There = ono Ins.anre
% have declared that had no owned etery
slave In tho South he would willingly give
Them nil UP If by 40 doing he could preserve
TIE Union.'r by changing the iast "oru ,ro.n
Union into COnJederdeH" tho sentence
will correspond with what General Lee
said 10 others aud stated when before
committee Of the Senate, TO Whom was TO
ferred n recommendation Tor inc enroihent
Of slaves I'm tho Confederate army, WIN s1e
prospective emancipation Of those who should
to honorably discharged: or by change OF
date from the "autum Of 1862" 10 the Degln-
ming Of 1861, the declaration would % sup.
posable But, aftor Virginia, his sovereign, hAd
Withdrawn from tho Union: after she had Deon
invaded for tho purpose Of cOercing her to
abandon her constitutional right; aitor, as a
Confederate general, he had fought hatues 70
repoal this Invasion, and had Witnessed ths
ruthless distractions OF tho lives ana homes Oh
his people, it would have boon unworthy 70
offer sacrihce to secure tho failure OF the cause
for which he had drawn his sword ana tnen
bore commission. General Nolseiey, In ms
article, commits various biographltal ond MS
tOrical errors which are not considered lmpor-
liant. and therefore arc not noticed IN THIS
review.
lis nomenclature as well as his detrnction
from "Ar. Dayis.n indicate tho northern
source Of his information, for 1t Is not at all
probable that he learned Ii other by conyersa-
lion with Leo or association with the officers at
his headquarters. With assumption % know
not only Tie acts but motives OF men-some OF
but HT1pf EfftuAlnlDDte ana OtDfIN only 0odTu
Of he decides not only the character OF the
war between the States, but what should have
been the political course OF tho southern poo
pie.
having turned loose his imagination, free
from the restraint OF historical facts, he sweeps
the whole field in the following paragraph:
Like all men Lee had his faults; like all the
greatest al generals he sometimes made mis-
iakes His nature shraut with such horror
from the dread Of wounding tho feelings OF
10 t,of nm nceaGppg n loft man in mai
tons Of responsibility 10 which their liabilities
were not equal. This softness OF heart amia-
bic as that quality may be. amounts 70 crime
in a man Entrusted with the direction Of PUB
lie affairs at critical moments Lees devotion
TO duty and great respect for obedience seem
at times to have made him too suDseryent 70
those charged with the civil government OF his
country. lie carried out too literally the or
ders OF those whom the Confederate Consu-
tuition made his superiors. although he must
have known them to be entirely ignorant OF the
science Of war lie appears 10 have forgotten
that he was the great revolutionary chief en-
gagged In great revolutionary war; that he was
no mere leader in political struggle OF par
ties carried on within the lines OF an old, we'll
established form OF government IL was very
clear 10 many at the time, rs II will BIO COM
monty acknowledged now, that the south could
only hope TO win under the rulo OF military
dictator. II General Washington had had
MIR. Davis over him, could he have accom-
plished what he did. 1t will, an sure. b.
fctrs 10 many that General Lee was given tho
command over all the Confederate armies a
month Or trO only before the final collapse. and
that the military policy Of the South was ell
throughout the war dictated by Mr.. Dayis. "a
President Of the Confederate Statesl Leo had
no power 10 reward soldiers or promote OIL
GERS Ii was Mr.. Davis who selected men 70
command divisions and armies"
IL IL be a psychological refisctlon. the an
nouucement that no man Is perfect Is more
grave Than novel; or, lift be regarded in a mil
itaIy sense, still tits not quite new, "a Marshal
SAKE in the long. long ago Ia reported 10 have
said that the general sho had made no mistake
must have made few campaigns
In what. 1t is asked, consisted the crtminality
imputed TO Lee7 II he was In no way RESPONSE
bio for the selection and promotion OF tho gene
moval Of incompetent officers, what was his
crime? Did any case ever occur where his re-
commentator for promotion was disregarded
or his request for the removal Of subordinate
was refusedi II none. aud believe there was
zone, then the complaint IA csuseless and
never could have had It's origin In words spoken
by Lee.
Tho Idea that ours was great revolutions
sry war" must 10 attributed TO tho want OF
political information. moro eIcusablo In for
cigner than I'm a native, and the conclusion that
No should have had military dictator is
even worse than the premise. The most cursory
observation might have taught an Intelligent
visitor that the States had old, woll-establishod
forms OF government, and that the southern
UeOple had cOufoderated 10 defend their COM
muLity. independence, and inherited rights Of
person and property. Could anything, 10 the
average English mind. be moro absurd than tho
suppOsiiion that men inspired with the deter
miraton 10 stake their all in defence OF such
rights would have commenced the struggle by
throwing away their trusty law-shield aud sub
hitting entirely 20 the will OF n dictatOri-
would fly 20 despCtism as refuge from possible
conquest?
Tia proposition may be considered after
deciding il 20 be absurd j will say in addition
that no man among us who could have been
thought worthy Of such trust by any large
number Of our people could have be8n 80 re-
creant 10 principle as to accept tho ofIer TO
reign supreme over the PROSTATE liberty Of
his country men.
Washington with MIR. Davis over him, to-
gether with tho matter which Immediately pre-
codes and follows. distinctly presents 70 the
reider as facts that tho war between tho States
was a revolutionary war, quite like that OF the
colonies against Great Britain that General
Washington had dictatOrial power, and that his
army was free from any control by civil author
ities. Each position Is untrue, and thu repre-
sentatiOn inexcusable in one appearing as
writer on Confederate affairs AZ o period Of
greatest depression the Congress Of the Con-
federation did invest General Washington with
extraordinary powers; they were not, how
ever, plenary but distinctly enumerated, given
only for brief period.
Paragraph quoted above, means TO state that
"a month or two only before the collapse"
General Lee vas given command over all our
armies, dictation Of the military policy OF the
Confederacy, the reward Of soldiers aud the
promotion Of officers, am one OF the many to
whom II would be news IL 1t were fact. The
general supervision and direction OF oil our
armies was assigned TO General Lee 10y Presi-
dent Davis in the 1rstyear OF the war. llis0nice
was i'm Richmond. and he continued, uudor ex-
ecutiyo authority, long and usefully 10 dis
charge that duty.
AFTER SEVEN PINES
After the battle Of Seven Pines General Lee
was ordered TO the field and to the immediate
command Of the Army of Virginia, then con-
fronting the enemy on the ChickahOminy. The
successes of our arms in the seven days bat
ties fulfilled my expectations OF Lee and So
cured for him the confidence OF tho people and
the devoted love and admiration Of his army.
The habitual thOroughness with which Gen
eral Leo discharged every duty and his exact
knowledge Of the functions Of every man In
his army, whether Of the line or the stan, led
him 10 give minute attention TO every detail.
For example, he found the teaInsters were
feeding their horses on tho ground, and he or
deTed boxes TO bs furnished in which the horses
should be fed.
TO such a commander the administration OF
the affairs Of an army are necessarily absorb
ing. After a time General Leo requested that
he should either be relieved from the imm me-
diatO command OF the Army Of Virginia or OF
the general direction Of our armies. | was re-
luctant 10 do either, but yielded 10 his reite-
rated request by relieving him from the gene
raj direction OF our armies.
The public interest forbade his substitution
by another as commander Of the Army OF Vir-
ginia. Then this Same Mr.. Davis, who, accord
ing 10 General Wolseley, took upon himself the
management Of all military affairs. called the
tried and able soldier General Bragg 10 his aid,
.a1 fnH aim ia